Refrigerator construction



Au 8, 1939. w. R. M. VERY 2,169,201

REFRIGERATOR CONSTRUCTION Original Filed Feb. 10, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR.

Mum/v RM 14m: BY Wm A TTORNEY- 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

I INVENTOR; Mum/RN Vim:

A TTORNE a A .H M. v v I Aug. 8, 1939. w. R M. VERY REFRIGERATOR CONSTRUCTION Origifial Filed Feb. 10, 1930 Patented Aug. 8, 1939 UNITED STATES REFRIGERATOR CONSTRUCTION William R. M. Very,

by mesne York, N. Y.,

Application assignments, to

a corporation of Delaware Haddonfleld, N. 3., assignor,

Servel, Inc., New

February 10, 1930, Serial No. 427,104

Renewed July 13, 1939 15 Claims.

the cooling element or chamber without opening the door oi the food chamber of the refrigerator cabinet.

Another object is to construct that part of the evaporator or cooling element projecting into the food chamber located within the refrigerator of metal only, and so that it need not contain reirigerant or brine.

A further object is to utilize the metal walls or other metal parts within the iced chamber as parts of the evaporator and to conduct heat out of the food chamber and into the evaporator or cooling element.

Another object is to provide e. rerrigerator cabinet with cooling fins 0i :1 higher temperature than required for freezing ice, so thst frosting and resulting dehydration oi the contents oi cabinet is reduced to a minimum.

@ther objects will be apparent from the fol. lowing description of one embodiment of the in-- vention and the accompanying drawings showing the some, in whichfigure l is a front view ole refrigerator cabinst rcirigerating machine mounted thereon, the door; of the cabinet and machine onsing being artly broken away to showthe interior;

2 is a side view partly in section of the retlrigcrotor and machine shown in Figure i; so 3 is a side view partly insection showing a modified form oi the evaporator arrcnge= ment;

Figure i is a side view partly in section show bag another modification oi the evaporator or== it rangement.

The numersl iii denotes a refrigerator cabinet oi any suitable construction having within its heat insulated walls the usual iood chamber or cornpartment ii. In order to cool this chamber ii; 50 has heretofore been customary to place within the same ice, a coil of pipe, 9. cylinder or other element (commonly called a cooling coil or evaporator) containing brine or a refrigerant.

Such arrangements are open to several objec- 56 tions among which are the diificuity or connecting these evaporators by means of pipes with the rest of the apparatus, the removal of water due to condensation or frosting, the danger of leaks of refrigerant or brine into the food chamber, etc. This invention eliminates these objections by providing a suitable evaporator such as the brine tank I? mounted outside the food chamber. Projecting from this tank are a plurality of conductors i3, i6, i5, l8, i1, i8 preferably of metal, to which are secured in any suitable manner the metal plates i9, 20 which increase the area of the conducting surfaces within the chamber ii in order to absorb heat therein.

The conductors may be solid or of tubular form. They may be of any suitable size. Their crosssection may be such as to maintain a food chamber oi a given size at a given temperature and yet permit of a rapid freezing of water in the ice drawers 2i, 2?: which are not, as usual, placed within the food chamber H but are placed within the evaporator i2 and are therefore subject to the direct localized action of the refrigerant when a machine is used.

in a refrigerator adapted for ice, the ice would be placed in the evaporator or cooling element i2 and would operate as just described, but oi course would not freeze water in the ice drawers. There are however, chemical mixtures already known, which ii used in the evaporator or tank p it will produce ice. however, is to provide a refrigerating machine which may be of any suitable absorption or compression type. For the sake of illustration a machine of the compression type will be generel 13; described. chines, the details ept suf iciently to illustrate scribetl' herein.

ilithin a frame of this will not be given one the invention de having a chamber 23 of insulating material is placed the evaporator or tank. i2. Within this tank in a recess 2% is placed plurality of ice drawers iii, 22. Within the tan'i: is e. cooling coil 25 connected to the suction side of c. compressor 2t 01'' any suitable type. In this coil lit the refrigerant gas is expanded alter the some has been compressed in a compressor cooled in the condenser fiend passed through the usual expansion valve 23. An electric m tor 29 drives the compressor. A casing 83 pro vided with suitable openings 39 on its sides em closes the compressor, condenser, motor and other usual and necessary controls, all these being mounted on the'top of the frame carrying chamber 23, whichirame forms a support or base for all of the aforesaid parts. The opening for the The preferred arrangement .4 5 there are many suitable rnaf ice drawers in 28 is closed by door I2, which, together with the casing 30, forms a cabinet or unit structure containing all the working parts adapted to operate and make ice if desired, and this unit structure may be placed upon the top of the refrigerator cabinet l0. Obviously this structure can be placed on the side of the cabinet, or elsewhere as long as the evaporator or cooling element projects into (or connects with heat conductors within) the food chamber.

The cabinet it has a portion of its external casing omitted at l, l to allow the extended portion 9 of the brine tank I! to rest on the insulation 33. A sufficient number of holes (or a single opening) may be made into the top of cabinet II to permit the downwardly projecting conductors l3, l4, II, l8, I1, I! to pass through the top wall 33 (or to contact with sockets therein as hereinafter described) thereof and enter the food chamber H. These conductors may have the plates I9, 20 secured thereto before they are placed in position, or these plates may be detachable and be secured in position after the conductors are placed in said chamber.

The extended portion 0 of the brine tank may 'rest on the upper ends of the conductors l3, l4, II, II, II, I8 and excellent contact obtained by pressure of gravity, or the conductors or portions of same may be made integral with the brine tank.

Within the chamber II is placed a shelf 84 for the drip pan I. A bafiie plate 36 is placed as shown in Figures 1 and 2 to cause air circulation to take place in the usual manner within the refrigerator. The food chamber has the usual door I1. I It will be observed from the foregoing that the complete machine is separate from the refrigerator cabinet and is easily placed thereon or removed therefrom without disconnecting any pipes to the evaporator which must be done when the evaporator is mounted within the food chamber, and that when in use, access can be obtained to the ice drawers by raising door 32 without the necessity of opening door 31 of the food chamber, and there are no refrigerant or brine pipes within the food chamber.

In Figures 3 and 4 are shown further modifications of the invention. Here, the machine unit is mounted separate from the evaporator and may be located away from the refrigerator cabinet. or in the base portion 38 thereof. The evaporator I2 is positioned below the bottom insulating wall I! of food chamber Ii. The conductors, one of which is shown at 40, Figure 3, pass upward from the evaporator I! through wall IO and into food chamber II where they. extend upward to the top thereof and finally carry on their at 4|.

Access is obtained to the ice drawers 42 by providing a door 43 in the front of the cabinet II. This may be opened independently of the food chamber door 44.

I Figure 4 shows a modification wherein the conductors II are carried upward from the evaporator to the top of the food compartment within the wall ll of the refrigerator cabinet. This is desirable in some cases in order to concentrate the cooling eflect at the top of the food chamber and for other reasons.

In the arrangements shown in Figures 3 and 4, it is obvious that the conductors may be either v min e v or detachably secured to the ev p 1! r8.

upper ends plates, one of which is shown- A further modification (not shown) would be to mount the complete high and low side unit on the side of the cabinet and have the conducting rods extend from the evaporator horizontally into the cabinet.

This would be particularly desirable in machines ot the absorption type.

While the evaporator I2 is herein shown and described as a brine tank, it will be understood that it need not be of tank form, but the so called direct expansion" system may be used, in which case the conductors projecting into the food chamber would be connected directly to the expansion coil or member 25. Such modifications are obvious and are all within the scope of the appended claims.

Thcinner metallic wall of the food chamber Il may be used as a conductor. By connecting this wall to the conductors as shown in any of the figures (for illustration, wall 48 to conductor 45- via 45a) the wall or liner may be used to absorb heat. This utilization of the metallic surface may extend to the shelf 34 and drip pan 35, the usual metal shelves (not shown) or to other metal parts within the food chamber.

Slip sockets 49, maybe provided for the conductors shown in any of the figures so they may be easily removed from the food chamber for cleaning. Obviously these sockets can be mounted directly upon the evaporator II or at any other place, and may be between the conductors and the casing or liner, as shown at 5!, Figure 2, where the upper conductor is fits into socket 5! which is secured to the inner metallic wall 48 of the food chamber. The lower half of the conductor Ila carries the plate l9, fits into the bottom of the socket 5|, as shown.

These slip joints or sockets may be of any suitable form having the desired conductive and mechanical characteristics.

The usual controls such as a thermostat 53 for maintaining a predetermined temperature in chamber H and the motor overload protective device may be positioned as usual and as their construction, operation and location are well understood and bear no direct relation to the in vention herein described, they are not herein described.

I claim- 1. In combination with a cabinet having a liner enclosing a refrigerating chamber therein, a unit structure comprising a complete operating re frigerating machine including a cooling element, removable from said cabinet without disassembling said cooling element from the other parts of the unit structure, means for making ice in said cooling element and for removing said ice therefrom, and a heat conductor fixed to said cabinet in heat exchange relation to the refrigerating chamber therein and adapted to make thermal contact with the cooling element of said unit when same is combined with said cabinet.

2. In combination, a cabinet having walls forming a food chamber, a structure having walls forming a second chamber detachable from said cabinet, cooling means in said second chamber insulated from said first chamber, and a plurality of solid metallic conducting elements permanently secured to the wall of said cabinet in heat. conductive relation to said food chamber and said cooling means.

3. In combination, a cabinet having walls forming a food chamber, a structure having walls forming a second chamber detachable from said cabinet, cooling means located entirely within conductor in heat exchanging relation between said chambers and mechanically connected to said cooling means, and a refrigerating machine within the lower portion of the cabinet connected to said cooling means and removable as a unit from said cabinet therewith.

5. In combination, a cabinet having a food chamber with insulated walls, a plurality of solid metallic conducting elements in said chamber having portions extending through at least one of said walls, and a refrigerating machine supported by said cabinet with a cooling element adapted to contact with said extended portions, said machine and said last cooling element forming a removable unit supported on said cabinet.

6. In combination, a cabinet comprising an insulated food chamber containing solid metallic conducting elements having extended portionsin .one wall thereof, a unit comprising a complete high and low side refrigerating system, said extended portions adapted to contact with said low side, and said unit adapted to be removed bodily without disturbing the interior of said cabinet or disconnecting piping connected therewith.

7. A refrigerator including a cabinet having a storage compartment to be cooled, thermal insulation enclosing said compartment, a unitary refrigeration apparatus including a cooling element providing a. water freezing chamber adapted to receive ice cube forming trays or the like and having a contact surface, said apparatus unit being removably supported on the top of said cabinet, and thermal conducting means ex-- tending through said insulation and having a contact portion in thermal contact withthe contact surface of said'cooling element and having a portion within said compartment said thermal conducting means forming a path of flow for heat having a temperature gradient from the freezing temperature of said cooling element to a temperature above freezing in that portion of the heat conducting means within said compartment, whereby air in said compartment may be cooled without formation of frost and dehydration.

8. A refrigerator including a cabinethavin'g a compartment to be cooled, thermal insulation enclosing said compartment, a unitaryv refrigeration apparatus including a cooling element providing a water freezing chamber adapted to receive ice cube forming trays or the like and having a contact surface, said apparatus unit being removably mounted on said cabinet outside of said compartment, and thermal conductive means extending through said insulation and having a portion in thermal contact with the contact surface of said cooling element and having a portion within said compartment for cooling the latter said thermal conducting'means forming a path of flow for heat having a temperature gradient from the freezing temperature of said cooling element to a temperature above freezing in that portion of the heat conducting means within said compartment, whereby'air in said compart- -ond thermally ment may be cooled without formation of frost and dehydration.

9. In a refrigerator having a. thermally insulated food storage compartment, refrigeration apparatus including a cooling element, said cooling element providing a water freezing chamber adapted to receive ice cube forming trays or the like, thermal insulation around said cooling element, and heat conducting means extending through said insulation and havinga portion in thermal transfer relation with said cooling element and having another portion comprising a plurality of metal fins in contact with air in said food storage compartment for cooling the latter said heat conducting means forming a path of flow for heat having a temperature gradient from the freezing temperature of said cooling element to a temperature above freezing in saidfins, whereby air in the food storage compartment is cooled without formation of frost or dehydration.

10. In combination with a cabinet having a cooling chamber therein, a unit structure comprising a complete operating refrigerating machine including a cooling element, heat insulation surrounding said element, and a casing about said structure having an opening therein to permit access to said cooling element, all said parts comprising said unit being removable from said cabinet without ment from the other parts, metallic cooling members within said chamber, and a. metallic conductor adapted to make contact between said members and said cooling element when said unit is in place on the cabinet.

11. In combination with a refrigerating machine, a cabinet having a food chamber, cooling means outside said chamber, a metallic member constituting the cooling means in said chamber, and a metallic member adapted to form a separable connection between said first and second cooling means, said connection adaptedto be made or broken without disconnecting said machine from said first cooling means.

12. In-combination, a cabinet having a thermally insulated food storage compartment, a secinsulated compartment separable from said cabinet, cooling means located entirely within said separable compartment, and a heat conductor permanently located within said food storage compartment and passing through the .walls of said compartments into contact with said cooling means.

13. In combination with a refrigerating machine, a cabinet having a food chamber, cooling means outside said chamber, a metallic member constituting a cooling means for said chamber, and a heat conductor adapted to form a separable connection between said first and second cooling means, said connection adapted to be made or broken without disconnecting said machine from said first cooling means.

14. A refrigerator. including a first chamber wherein food is to be preserved, a second chamber wherein ice is to be made, a refrigerating unit including a cooling element in said second chamber, a metallic member in heat transmitting relation to said first chamber for transmitting cooling effect thereto and having an extended surface, a heat conductor in direct heat transmitting relation with said metallic member for transmitting cooling effect thereto, said heat conductor having removable connection with said cooling element whereby said cooling element transmits cooling effect to said heat conductor disconnecting said cooling elewhen in functioning relationship, one or more ice forming members associated with said cooling element for production of ice, and insulation for retaining cooling eifect in said respective chambers, said refrigerating unit including said.

cooling element constituting a removable unit, said metallic member and heat conductor being arranged to remain in their structural and cooling effect transmission relationship to said first chamber upon removal of the refrigerating unit. 15. A refrigerator as set forth in claim 14 in which said metallic member is a liner bounding 5 in part said first chamber.

WILLIAM R. M. VERY. 

